Source: Officer killed at Fort Bragg was a lieutenant colonel

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Source: Officer killed at Fort Bragg was a lieutenant colonel

By the CNN Wire Staff

(CNN) – The man killed in a shooting Thursday at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was a lieutenant colonel and battalion commander, a defense official told CNN on Friday.

The officer, whose name was not released pending notification of relatives, was shot by a soldier in his unit during a security briefing, the source said. The alleged shooter then turned the gun on himself and was in critical condition, the military said in a news release.

The incident was reported to the fort’s 911 center at 3:31 p.m.

Earlier, the official had said the alleged shooter was not expected to survive. A third soldier received a minor wound. He was identified as Spec. Michael E. Latham, a signal support system specialist.

The alleged shooter, a specialist, was facing court martial after being accused of stealing a tool box worth nearly $2,000 from a motor pool, and faced dishonorable discharge if found guilty, the official said.

The battalion commander had gathered his unit for a safety briefing that was really more of a “stay safe” talk before the July 4th weekend, the official said.

During the talk, the specialist pulled out a gun and started shooting, then shot himself, the official said.

The alleged shooter had once served on the battalion commander’s security detail during a tour in Afghanistan, the official said.